These projects are from Sculpture 218: Site Specific/Installation, with Liz Magor from the Fall 2008 term.� Every Emily Carr student should have to take a course with Liz – her reputation as an artist and an instructor precedes her.� She is very knowledgeable and says what needs to be said in plain language.� She has high expectations of her students and little time for “slacker art.”� If you have an open mind and tough skin, you will learn a great deal from her.

I am currently taking the next level course, Sculpture 318.� Below is an on going list of “Liz-isms” that she has provided in class:

NO MEANING MACHINES!
Work should be something, not about something
Every space has its genius
The best Liz hires the worst Liz – you have no boss
There is no neutral signifier
Ask – “what is the reason for this being in the world?”
Don’t play intellectual silly games
Consider how all parts relate
Intuition is our “well spring” – the more you learn, the more intuitive you are
Nothing should announce your work – it should speak for itself
Don’t leap to meaning
Don’t try to be a shaman
Look for a pleasure node that elicits excitement
Conditions are real, signifiers are not
Process should lead to inquiry
Most brains shut-down when they are being dictated to
Venture off into the scary zone
It’s better to be weird than not to work
Viewer participation should have a purpose
Work should observe structure vs. concept
Look for how the “unnoticed” affects the “seen”
Work through early projects – don’t abandon yourself
If you retain one thing, you have something to draw on – work comes out of a flow
Developing work takes 10 years, during which time you should expect to be vulnerable and unsupported
Stay open as long as possible without trying to control your ideas
Make work about life – the hot places

On August 21st, I finally made a trek to Alert Bay. My Art History 206 class that I took in 2006 with Laura Wee Lay Laq focused on a number of events from the village’s history that really interest me: the Chicago Worlds Fair performers, the Curtis movie, the Cranmer Potlatch arrests, attempts to relocate the village into Stanley Park as a tourist attraction, the 1953 potlatch at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, Mungo Martin, Charlie James, Ellen Neel, the Hunts…so many associations.

My time on the island was too short. It was a 4 1/2 hour drive from Nanaimo (including a wrong turn it Courtney – don’t take the second exit unless you want the cow-path tour). The day was supposed to be a downpour, but turned-out to be clear and hot.� It was a race to get lunch at the store and get over to the Big House to see the dance performance once the ferry docked. It’s a 1.5 km walk, so if you ever do the trip, bear that in mind or you will be running and eating at the same time like I was.

The dances were really well done, focusing on a cast of young peformers, the littlest of whom was 3. The last number was the “happy dance” were everyone in the crowd was invited by the dancers to join in. It ended with the kids wading into the crowd, shaking everyone’s hands and thanking them for coming.

The former St. Michael’s Residential School adjoins the U’mista Cultural Center on the water front. It stands-out in its decrepit state, weathering away like an old stump – the site of much pain and suffering in the community.

As I slowly worked my way back to town, the image of my cousin running towards me in the distance cued me to the fact that the ferry was leaving earlier than I thought. I didn’t get a chance to visit the town this trip. Next time, it will be an overnight trip.

I am so impressed with the village and the Namgis First Nation. The people that I met were friendly and helpful. The speakers at the dance performance genuinely connected with the visitors and explained issues important to the Kwakwaka’wakw people, the environment and their relationship to non-Natives. The last picture I took was a mural painted on the side of a building which read, “Share, Connect, Create, Soul.” That summed-up my experience perfectly.

Special thanks to Barb Cranmer for granting permission for the pictures from the Big House to be posted on this site.

The link below takes you to the concept page for the Translink iPhone application, developed by the design team that I participated with in Interactive Design Essentials 205 at Emily Carr during the Spring of 2008 with David Humphrey.

The idea is to combine the iPhone’s touch screen interface, GPS technology and ‘Smart’ features to provide real time transit information, payment options and mapping in minimal clicks.

This model provides selected navigation examples for the scheduling option. What you see is my own “skin” on our team’s conceptual design.

Click on the following link:

Translink iPhone App: Interactive Model

Below are some photos of the teams in different stages of the development process.